Wow. I was really tired and not too diplomatic when I typed that post, last night. I hope I'm more tactful today.

My point about the staffing was/is that, in the franchise studios I've attended, new teachers are hired off the street and trained to become beginning ballroom instructors. They make very low salaries -- close to minimum wage -- plus commission on sales of packages. The bulk of the gross income goes to the studio, to defray operating expenses, etc. The new teachers,who may have had a couple of months training, take on beginner students.

We could have a long,long discussion about whether this is fair to the students. I've had this discussion many, many times.

But what I've found is that, in forums like this one, many people think that beginner teachers do students a disservice. Regardless of how you feel about that issue, the bottom line is that, with the pricing model that franchises have (that I know of) I think it would be difficult to afford to pay big name competitive dancers who have name recognition.

The successful studios I know that have such teachers are generally independent studios who hire experienced teachers as independent contractors, rent teachers floor space to give lessons, and take a cut for themselves.

Very tough - it certainly helps if you have won a championship or two - you have cred. But savy studios cater to what the local need is - and one successful model is the dance studio/nightclub where you offer both teaching and a social life. Some people are naturally good at this but its very individual.

Yes. The social dance studio is very big in the US -- bigger than anywhere in the world, unless my impression is all wrong. The three biggest independent dance studios in this area all focus on social dance, even though they all offer serious competitive dance as an option. They offer a social membership -- sort of like a gym membership -- where you pay so many dollars a month in exchange for access to a certain number of classes plus social dances. Those are very, very popular packages. Private lessons are completely separate. If I had to take a guess, I would guess that social dance is their bread and butter.

soical students make money, here is is between $65-120 Ph depending on the level of coaching for a private lesson, A Social class you ask between 12-15.00 if you have 40 people come for a social classs, you can make more in an hour, than doing 8 hours in a day at $60.00.

Competitive dancing does not make them a lot of money, just regular clients.

Logged

Dance is a delicate balance between perfection and beauty. ~Author UnknownDance Forum

You've got the economics Q. But the teachers get more of a kick out of teaching competetive couples, vicarious competitions and all that...

So maybe the trick is to have some of each. If I were running a studio, I would definitely push for the monthly memberships. Guaranteed income. One of the studios here offers a significant discount if you prepay your membership for a year. Even better, when you consider 1)the timevalueofmoney and 2) the distinct likelihood that people will pay for classes they never take.

Some people will take a billion classes and get more than their money'w worth. I bet most won't, averaged over the year.